June 30 (Today) is the deadline for app makers to get in compliance with Apple's strict new rules for in-app payment and subscription links.
Everyone's still confused about how to interpret the rules -- and as written, the guidelines could get big-name apps like Amazon's Kindle booted from Apple's iTunes App Store. The new rules explicitly prohibit apps that include "external mechanisms for purchases ... such as a 'buy' button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book."
The issue is that Apple wants content sellers to use its own in-app payments system, which gives Apple a 30% cut of all sales. Many merchants consider that a dealbreaker.
Other developers are evading Apple's clutches by eschewing mobile apps altogether and building around an emerging Web standard called HTML5.
HTML5 supports video, offline reading, touch and gestural interaction -- all functions that, until recently, were only available for mobile devices on native apps. The Financial Times and ESPN each built new mobile apps in HTML5.
That lets them connect with customers directly through the mobile Web -- no app store required.
Most of the publishers we work with will be going the HTML5 route as part of their mobile content delivery strategies moving forward. Using existing development talent, controlling the revenue stream and making mobile app experiences on the fly without having to wait for in-store approvals seem like the perfect storm to make this inevitable for all publishers.
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